Quick Thoughts On Sex Offender Laws

[variablez]

The reason I consider sex offender laws unconstitutional, illegal, and downright stupid is because:

1. They remove from a person his or her right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness (see the Bill of Rights)
   
2. They guarantee de facto double jeopardy (see the 5th amendment to the Constitution)
   
3. They make no reasonable distinction between those who will pose a threat in the future, those who might pose a threat in the future, and those who probably won't pose a threat in the future.
   

If we want to punish a person for doing something unforgivable (like rape or child molestation) we must increase the penalty for that crime so that it fits at the time the person is convicted, not increase that penalty beyond the legally given sentence just because we're scared and angry. The same argument people use for sex offenders could just as easily be used for convicted murderers (can't live within 1000 feet of a weapon), car thieves (can't live within 1000 feet of a car), or corrupt politicians (can't live within 1000 feet of a TV camera). They all might sound like great ideas at first glance, but they are not reasonable, they are not legal, they are not constitutional, and they have no place in our society.

That's just my opinion.

- Zohar S.E.